SHAH ALAM: Work on First MMEA OPV Starts. The keel for the first of class MMEA OPV was laid at the THHE Destini shipyard at Pulau Indah, Kelang today. The three class ships are based on the Damen 1800 OPV design.
A CGI of the MMEA OPV
The first of class is expected to be ready for delivery by February, 2020, says the APMM news update. The second in May and August, the same year says the report. You can view the report below
The 83 metre vessels with 70 crew members will have an endurance of 21 days. It can also accommodate 20 passengers.
Aselsan SMASH 30mm gun
As reported previously, the OPVs will be armed with the Aselsan 30mm RWS the same guns fitted on the NGPC.
Thales Fulmar X mini-UAV
The OPV will also be equipped with an UAV though MMEA has yet to determine the make. The Thales Fulmar mini-UAV was selected for the NGPC.
NGPC at Destination Marine jetty at Port Klang on July 31, 2017. Left is 4542, KM Bagan Datuk and partly hidden is 4543.
Although the original Damen 1800 OPV design has a hangar for a helicopter, the MMEA OPV will not be equipped most likely it has more crew (70). The original design has a crew of 46 only.
Damen 1800 OPV.
By comparing the CGI of the MMEA OPV to the Damen one, we could see that some modifications were also made especially the location of the RHIB. On the original design, the RHIB is located aft below the helicopter deck, and very near to the waterline.
The model build for MMEA however looked more closer to the Damen OPV design, however. I guess we have to wait until the ships are delivered before we can make the final judgement.
–Malaysian Defence
If you like this post, buy me an espresso. Paypal Payment
View Comments (12)
Great news! Any dates of completion for this OPV?
BTW what is with the japanese noodle? I think you meant Damen, not Ramen LoL!
Reply
Must be the spell check, thanks
I bet aselsan is looking to secure more contract from Malaysia considering they've opened a rm2 company in malaysia
I believe the delivery of the first OPV is planned for Feb 2020, with follow on ships every 3 months thereafter. So, 2022 is not correct. The whole contract duration is 42 months commencing February 2017.
Reply
You are right, I am still gathering information on the project.
Mr Api69,
Thank you for your usual in depth info on MMEA ships.
Any details on the NGPC sir? It seems like 4543 (what is the name of this ship?) is complete. When would the last NGPC scheduled to be completed? Any plans for NGPC batch 2?
Reply
The last three NGPC is expected to be delivered by June next year
THe NGPC looks to be moving on fine, although I hear some 'noises' here and there with regards to some deficiencies in design on the first of class. Nothing unusual there. The launching of the third ship was actually done yesterday afternoon.
There surely will be a second batch of NGPCs. However, whether it will also be a direct award to Destini is still unknown (although I hear there is that proposal already floating around). This would largely depend on the performance of Destini on both the NGPC and also on the OPV.
@ Api69
Care to share the name of 4543?
IMO it would be best if the NGPC to be continued to replace the Vospers 1 to 1 (15 ships). But at least 12 would be acceptable due to the better situational awareness afforded by the embedded UAV on the NGPCs
Thank you for the news. Great to see that the project is going well.
If any add-on order of this opv is done in the future, will it be as replacements for the older opvs in the mmea?
In your opinion, how many opv does the mmea need to reach minimum operational tempo requirement?
Reply
No idea actually but based on the two old OPVs together with the two donated Japan ships my guess they need a minimum of six OPVs.
If original c/w hangar can sail with 46 men, why they go for 70? Almost 2x the original crew.
Reply
Most of the higher ups of APMM are ex RMN, very conservative hence the reliance on sailors instead of machines. Even the NGPC has double the number of crew compared with the original boat design
Now understood the line of thought for complement of 70. Extra men equate extra ration,bunk,water,salary,housing etc. Maybe going for less automation/machination equates less RM to put into a new OPV. To those in the know, which one is better in the long run, more manpower or more machinepower on board a vessel?
4543 KM Kota Belud based at Sandakan will sail mid Jan 18